With lots of hidden vegetables, lean ground turkey, and plenty of seasoning, these ground turkey sloppy joes are a healthier sloppy joe recipe you’ll want to enjoy again and again. Plus, they’re on the table in not much more than 30 minutes!
Hi friends!
Today I’m sharing another easy ground turkey recipe with you.
Hubby and I love these ground turkey sloppy joes. They’re unbelievably simple to whip up and are so delicious.
What I especially love about these bay boys is they have hidden veggies! You get an extra dose of goodness from shredded zucchini and carrot. So for those picky eaters, you could sneak some extra nutrition. How cool is that?
Ground turkey is not only relatively budget friendly, but it’s also lean and super tasty!
I tested out these ground turkey sloppy joes a whole bunch of times and now I’m so happy to be sharing with you.
Why These Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes are Great!
- They’re made with a leaner protein than the ground beef version
- Made in one pot for easy cleanup
- They sneak in veggies for extra nutrition
- The recipe can easily be doubled to feed a crowd
- Of course, they taste delicious!
How to Make these Healthier Sloppy Joes
Full instructions on how to make sloppy joes are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
Step 1: Get Those Aromatics and Vegetables (i.e. hidden veggies) Going!
In a skillet, cook onion and garlic until softened a little. Then, add bell pepper, carrot and zucchini and cook just a little.
Step 2: Add Ground Turkey Along with Seasoning
Add ground turkey, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Break up turkey with a wooden spoon or potato masher and heat until turkey is cooked through.
Step 3: Get Saucy!
Pour in tomato paste, tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, and water and simmer for a little until you’ve reached your desired consistency.
Step 4: Assemble
Pile the ground turkey sloppy joes mixture onto buns and garnish to your heart’s content!
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Garnish Options
- Cheese. If you are using cheese, place sloppy joes (without top bun) on a sheet pan in the oven on broil for a minute or so just to melt (melting optional, of course).
- Coleslaw or shredded cabbage (as I did here)
- Sliced pickle
- Pickled red onion or thinly sliced raw onion
- Pickled hot peppers or thinly sliced fresh peppers
What to Serve with Sloppy Joes
- Fries, wedges or tater tots
- Pesto potatoes
- Side salad
- Roasted broccoli
- Coleslaw
- Potato salad
- A big ol’ pickle
- Potato chips
- A classic tomato soup
Can I Make These Low Carb?
For sure! If you want low carb sloppy joes, nix the bun and go for lettuce wraps. Boston lettuce works great here!
More Tips & Variations
I prefer things not too loose or saucy, but if you want a looser consistency, simply add more water or broth and reduce to your desired consistency. As I always say, you do what you enjoy best!
For an added kick, mix in more chili flakes.
Don’t have balsamic vinegar? Mix in some cider vinegar instead.
If you don’t happen to have zucchini on hand (or prefer not to use), simply replace it with more carrot.
To reduce sodium, use ‘low sodium’ or ‘no salt added’ varieties of tomato sauce and tomato paste, should you prefer.
More Easy Sandwich Recipes
Hope you love this turkey sloppy joe recipe!
If you make this healthier sloppy joe recipe, be sure to leave a comment below. Love to hear how you enjoyed it!
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Turkey Sloppy Joes (with hidden veggies)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion , peeled and minced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 bell pepper , cut into small dice
- 1 carrot , peeled and grated/shredded (about 1 cup)
- 1 zucchini , shredded (about 1.5 cups)
- 1 pound ground turkey (or 454 grams)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 14 ounce can of tomato sauce (a little over 1.5 cups)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons BBQ sauce (your favourite variety)
- ¼ cup water
- 6 burger buns
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pan (about a 12-inch skillet is great) over medium heat.
- Add onion and garlic. Cook 3 to 5 minutes until onion has softened.
- Stir in bell pepper, carrot and zucchini. Cook 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add ground turkey, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, chili powder, paprika, salt, black pepper and chili flakes (if using). Break up turkey with a spoon or potato masher and cook until cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes or so.
- Stir in tomato paste, tomato sauce, BBQ sauce and ¼ cup of water (rinse out your can of tomatoes). Cook about 8 to 10 minutes or until you've reached your desired consistency. Portion onto buns and garnish (if desired). Enjoy!
Nutrition (ESTIMATE ONLY)
Nutrition estimate (if provided) is based on 1 serving.
Nutrition information (if provided) is provided as a courtesy and should be considered an estimate only. Ingredients can vary and Girl Heart Food makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are guidelines only.
David @ Spiced
Slop, sloppy joe!! (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself there…haha.) I love how you added zucchini in these to bulk ’em up a bit. Tricky, but excellent idea. I love sloppy joes! These are the epitome of comfort food…and you know we could all use some comfort food in these crazy times. Lookin’ delicious, my friend!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Lol!! Totally! Thanks David 🙂 Have a great week!
Marissa
These look so good and I happen to have all of the ingredients on hand. Yum! Hope that you, your hubby and Riley are doing well.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Awesome! Thanks Marissa! Same to you 🙂
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
I’m always up for hiding veggies from you know who Dawn! And we both totally enjoy sloppy joes! Can’t wait to give your recipe a try.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Lol! Thanks Mary Ann! Enjoy 🙂
Leanne
We always make sloppy joes with ground turkey, but the sneaky carrots and zucchini are a great idea. I could get those in there and my hubby would never be the wiser! haha 😉 I hope you and your family are doing well and staying safe. Have a good weekend Dawn!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
Thanks Leanne! Same to you :)!